Creamy, nutty, sweet, and somewhat savory, this homemade Black Sesame Ice Cream has got it all! Enjoy the unique flavor of Japanese ice cream at home with my easy recipe.
Have you tried Japanese flavored ice creams such as Green Tea Ice Cream and Red Bean Ice Cream? I have another Japanese-flavored ice cream for you today, and it’s Black Sesame Ice Cream (黒ゴマのアイスクリーム).
Sesame seeds might seem unusual ice cream flavor, but for Japanese and Asian cuisine, black sesame flavor is commonly used in desserts.
Black Sesame Flavored Desserts
Popular desserts include black sesame macarons, purin (pudding), chiffon cake, mochi, bread, ice cream, and more. Chinese cuisine has black sesame sweet soup and mochi dumpling with black sesame filling. Black sesame is unique in the way it changes the dynamic of a dessert completely. Ordinary-looking desserts are transformed into a peculiar dark gray color, and it surprises you with a unique nutty toasty flavor.
Black Sesame Paste
One of the key ingredients for this black sesame ice cream is the black sesame paste. A jar of black sesame paste is sold at Japanese grocery stores or on Amazon.
With toasted black sesame seeds, you can make the paste yourself easily using a food processor.
Japanese Black Sesame Paste vs. Black Tahini
The black tahini is a common ingredient used in Middle Eastern cuisine. It is also called the sesame paste or sesame butter, but the difference is black tahini doesn’t require toasting the sesame seeds. After being pulverized into a paste, it is mixed with sesame oil and a little bit of salt.
For making Japanese sweets, you should be able to substitute with black tahini but bear in mind that it is unsweetened and may have a more pronounced bitter flavor. It is also more liquid because of the sesame oil. So you will want to add some honey and make any necessary adjustments if needed.
Wish to learn more about Japanese cooking? Sign up for our free newsletter to receive cooking tips & recipe updates! And stay in touch with me on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram.
Black Sesame Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp toasted black sesame seeds
- 1⅔ cups whole milk
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 3 large egg yolks
- 2 Tbsp honey
- 3 Tbsp black sesame paste (or learn How to Make Black Sesame Paste from scratch)
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 200 ml heavy (whipping) cream (¾ cup + 4 tsp)
- ⅛ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
- If the black sesame seeds are not roasted yet, put the sesame in a (nonstick) frying pan over medium heat and stir until they start popping. They will release a nutty aroma. Remove from the heat and cool.
- Grind 2 Tbsp toasted black sesame seeds very finely.
- Whisk ⅓ cup sugar and 3 large egg yolks together until pale yellow.
- Add in 2 Tbsp honey, the ground black sesame seeds, and 3 Tbsp black sesame paste. Whisk until well combined.
- Microwave 1⅔ cups whole milk until hot throughout (or bring it to simmer in a small pot) and add to the sesame mixture in a slow stream. Mix at low speed for 30 seconds.
- Transfer the mixture into the small pot. Heat the mixture over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the custard thickens and reaches around 176ºF (80ºC). Don’t exceed 181ºF (83ºC) since the egg yolk will cook. To avoid salmonella, the egg must be cooked for at least 1 minute over 167ºF (75ºC).
- Remove from heat and cool down the pot in a large bowl filled with iced water. Add 1 tsp pure vanilla extract.
- Clean the stand mixer bowl and now whisk together 200 ml heavy (whipping) cream (¾ cup + 4 tsp) and ⅛ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt until peaks form.
- Add the whipped cream into the cooled sesame mixture.
- Fold in but do not overmix it. Chill the mixture in the refrigerator for several hours (or overnight) until completely cold.
- Process the mixture in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions (usually about 25 minutes). Transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and freeze it for several hours before serving.
- If you are not going to use an ice cream maker, then transfer the mixture to a container and put it in a freezer. Stir every few hours (3–4 times) to break up the ice crystals until it’s completely frozen.
Gorgeous photos! I’ve never had this ice cream but I would certainly love to try it 🙂 I neeeed an ice cream maker!
My hats off to you Nami for another beautiful and delicious creation. Just the look of this ice cream instantly freezes the sorrounding especially with this hot, hot weather that we are having. Hope you are staying cool and having a great week, Nami! 🙂
Wow! Nami, this is a wonderful flavor! I have never heard of it and I would really like to try it. I know about the green tea ice cream, I tried your red bean ice cream and now I think I would like to try this one too. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
I know this is delicious because I had it once when I was teaching in Japan. I often make ice cream in summer and always for birthdays. I bet this flavor of ice cream would be a hit with children at Halloween. It’s impossible to find the paste here but I do have a supply of black sesame seeds so I’ll use them and try to make the paste. Maybe the paste is available on amazon so I’ll check there too. Green tea ice cream is divine! Thanks so much the black sesame seed ice cream. Except for the paste, the ingredients are simple enough to find locally.
These look delicious! i am going to try it. is one of my favourite ice cream.
Lovely photos and great recipe. I’ve always wanted to learn how to use black sesame in ice cream. Thanks for sharing another delightful treat, Nami! Hope you’re having a fun summer 🙂
Woah! Very cool color! I’m not a frozen food fan, but my family is. I love how exotic this looks and I’m sure my family would love to try it!
Yes you did surprise me with this one. I do have a friend that uses black sesame seeds in many baked goods sweet and savory. This ice cream looks amazing, very exotic! I will check out your post on Spice Foodie! 🙂
Hey Nami! I’ve tasted all kinds of Asian ice cream and Popsicle, though never black sesame ones, so yes you definitely surprised me! It makes total sense though, with all the desserts I grew up eating for holidays and celebrations, black sesame is a big part of that…
So how have you been? I have not blogged for a long while, it will be my 200th posting so I wanted to share something worthy, also I have been lazy, hahah! I find it so much easier to just share on FaceBook, though it’s not the ideal way to keep track of recipes.
Better get my act together soon!
Nami, wow! What an incredible colour, and what an unusual flavour. What a talented lady you are!
Nami, I saw this ice cream at the Spicie Foodie’s and was sitting there with my mouth open. It is such a beautiful and unique ice cream!! Gorgeously done!!
An unusual flavor to me but looks delicious and worth trying. The blue color is attracting me!
Always see something new here..so lovely 🙂
Nami I love this ice cream and I haven’t even tasted it yet. The color is beautiful. I can’t even imagine what it tastes like blended with cream and eggs. Do your children love it?
This is so interesting- I’ve never seen anything like it, but I’m sure it’s delicious 🙂